🌭 She’s got A LOT on her plate

Happy Hump Day, Boston!

🥗 Stuck in a lunch break rut? Boston.com readers shared their favorite lunch spots, a great list to pick from if you work downtown. And no, Sweetgreen isn’t on it.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Student loan bright spot

• Sweet treats alert

• Baby Pike

Up first...

FOOD

Your favorite chef’s girl dinner

If you’ve been on TikTok recently, you’ve likely encountered the “girl dinner.” And if you haven’t, here’s a quick primer.

This trend started as a way for women to share the meals that satisfy their cravings when they’re alone or don’t have time to cook, ranging from haphazardly assembled charcuterie boards to microwave nachos and hot dogs.

🤔 So it got me thinking … Do chefs do girl dinner? Spoiler: 1,000% yes. I talked to three local food and wine industry heavyweights to learn what’s for girl dinner, and their responses might surprise you:

🫒 For Rebel Rebel’s Lauren Friel, her girl dinner is a brine lover’s dream. Friel’s mom is Greek, so this snack plate, mezze style of eating runs in her blood. Friel’s roster usually features Lamajoun (an Armenian “pizza”) or flatbread, a huge scoop of labne or Greek yogurt, glugs of “special occasion” olive oil, kalamata olives, Grillo’s pickles, tinned fish, some dried fruit, and a fat slice of feta. “If you’re going to have a snack plate and work in this industry,” she said, “you still want it to have all the balance of a well-made meal: Fat, salt, acid, heat.”

🌭 Tiffani Faison relies on the classics: hot dogs and instant ramen. Despite being a prolific Boston restaurateur and chef (Sweet Cheeks Q, Fool’s Errand, Orfano, Dive Bar, Tenderoni’s, and Bubble Bath), Faison doesn’t really enjoy cooking for herself. Which means her girl dinner is usually microwaved hot dogs with dipping sauce, instant ramen with butter, vinegar, togarashi, and American cheese, or sometimes, hotdogs IN said ramen. “It’s not about being fancy,” Faison said. “It’s about women eating alone without any sort of judgment … [and] whatever I can get down my pie hole the fastest.”

🧀 For Mei Mei Dumplings’ Irene Li, it’s all about the cheese. But it also revolves around not wanting to cook as “making it your job can take some of the joy out of it,” she said. Which is why most of the things that end up on her plate can be pulled ready-to-eat out of the fridge. Her most recent girl dinner consisted of chopped veggies, hummus, Harbison cheese, crusty bread, fruit, and jam. “There are a lot of conventions of what counts as dinner,” Li said, “But anything you eat at night counts as dinner. It’s a mindset.” Amen.

QUICK QUESTION!

🍽️ What’s a go-to on your girl dinner plate?

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

💸 Biden’s Plan B for student loan forgiveness is live. Applications for SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) are officially open, giving borrowers another chance at some form of debt relief after the Supreme Court poo-pooed Biden’s original program. This income-driven repayment plan can significantly decrease the monthly payments for borrowers, and if you make less than $32,800 a year, eliminate them entirely. Plus, assuming you make your monthly payments, your loan balance won’t grow due to unpaid interest. You can learn more and apply here.

🛍️ It’s officially Black Business Month. As the name suggests, August is all about celebrating the millions of Black-owned businesses across the country, and the easiest way to do so is to give them YOUR business. To get you started, Black Owned Bos. has a comprehensive list of Black-owned businesses in the area, and this guide gives a breakdown of Black-owned restaurants in Boston by neighborhood. And if you want to combine food and shopping, check out the Black-owned Bos. outdoor market in the Seaport on August 20.

🥘 Friendly reminder that Dine Out Boston kicks off Friday. From Aug. 6 through 13, over 120 Boston-area restaurants will be offering sweet prix fixe lunch and dinner deals as a way for folks to sample the local food scene. The lunch deals start at $22 and dinner starts at $36, with most restaurants offering two to four courses. And it’s also a great way to sample some bougier spots like Bistro du Midi and The Banks Fish House without breaking the bank. You can see the full list of participating restaurants here.

🍦 PSA: New sweet treats are on the menu. If you’re always in the market for something sweet, we have good news: New City Microcreamery in Cambridge just released a new tres leches ice cream flavor this week, made from a sweet cream base laden with caramel cream-soaked vanilla wafers and dolve caramel swirl. Honestly, the video of its release should be censored. And Bakey on Tremont Street, widely known for its chocolate Babka, just released a limited-edition blueberry Babka filled with blueberry jam, lemon zest, and pastry cream.

TOGETHER WITH PROJECT PAULIE BOCCE CLUB

Giveaway alert!

🤑 We’re giving away a $100 gift card to Project Paulie Bocce Club. To be eligible, refer a friend below and have them accept your invite between July 31 and August 2. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

ONE LAST THING

Baby Pike

Tired: Getting stuck on the Pike. Wired: Giving birth on the Pike.

Well, that’s exactly what happened to Audelina Ordonez Barrios on Sunday.

She was en route to deliver her son at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester when he decided to make an early entrance. Inconveniently, on the Mass. Pike.

First responders from the Westborough Fire Department were on the scene to help deliver him roadside. And at 6:10 p.m, the 8-pound and 7-ounce “Baby Pike” was born. OK, his real name is Derek-Caleb Bulux Ordonez, but the nickname appears to be sticking.

Mom introduced him to the world in this video, and like most babies, he’s adorable.

👶 Thanks for reading! Audelina Ordonez Barrios has my vote for President.

🎤 The results are in: Sorry, BeyHive. It looks like our readers err on the Team Swiftie side based on yesterday’s poll. One Swiftie noted that while she’s a “Beyoncé lover,” she’s not sure she qualifies for the BeyHive.

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].